Another Side
by Katie1995
Summary: It's Halloween and Snape pays a visit to Godric's Hollow, there is one person, however, that believes he's acting suspiciously.  Who's followed him, and how does he react? ALL CANON COUPLES!


**A/N – (I don't own Harry Potter or the characters in any way. All credit goes to J. K. Rowling.)**

**Another Side.**

**Narrator's P.O.V. (Third Person)**

"Have you seen Snape today?" Hermione was perched on the stone window ledge, Harry and Ron stood either side of her as Snape glided past in usual robes. The teacher, however, didn't miss Miss. Granger's hushed whispers. He shot a look in the three friend's direction, and immediately they looked away.

He looked agitated, uneasy, which was of course, was unusual for the potions teacher. His normal demure softened ever so slightly. Still, Snape gave punishments when he thought they were necessary, yet today it seemed if his heart wasn't in it.

"...Mudblood." Draco's voice carried down the corridor as another innocent person got in his way.

"50 points from Slytherin, Malfoy!" Harry, Ron and Hermione were taken aback. Snape had never taken points from his _own house_ before.

"Really," Hermione continued. "What do you think is up with him?"

The two boys shrugged, watching intently as their most disliked teacher carried on through the wooden door, mumbling something like,

"I heard that too," before turning out of sight around the corner.

A deep sigh escaped Snape's chest and he kept his eyes traced on the floor. He couldn't look up and see everyone around him, when he knew the person he longed to see was lying cold in a grave.

"Severus." A hand was placed on his shoulder which he immediately tried to brush off. His defence and attitude towards the sympathy he knew he was being given by non other that Dumbledore himself, was an act to make sure he didn't break in front of the students. He, after all, had a reputation to keep.

"Albus, let me go." The hand placed on his shoulder dropped back to its owner's side.

"I know, Severus," Albus replied gently. "You don't like sympathy-

"Don't," Snape snapped. "Just, don't." Dumbledore sighed before carrying on.

"Very well, Severus. I won't betray your trust."

Snape raised his head to meet Dumbledore's aged, blue eyes. Traces of tears were evident in Snape's black eyes as he stared at the man stood before him.

"I'm going-

"I know where you're going, Severus. You have no need for my permission."

The black haired man just nodded, numbly.

"However, you will miss the Halloween feast."

A pained smile made spread across Snape's face. "Oh, I know," he replied. "But I miss it every year."

Dumbledore patted his arm again before walking towards the grand hall.

Snape carried on, unaware of Hermione's presence behind him. He had much more pressing matters to attend to. Without a second glance behind him, Snape went down to his office.

There were a bunch of flowers on his desk. They mainly consisted of white Lilies; however there were also a proportion of red roses. Next to the bouquet were two cards.

One was from Snape himself. He felt it right to at least right his feelings down tonight, otherwise what was the point in going if he had nothing to say?

The second card was from Harry. Harry didn't know the card had been taken from his room. Dumbledore had given it to Snape in a request that Harry got to leave at least something for his Parents tonight. Snape was reluctant at first; he believed it would cause unneeded suspicion between the boy and himself. He knew he was already playing a dangerous game and he couldn't risk putting Lily's son into the firing line.

"Get it together, Severus," he commanded himself.

He picked the flowers up carefully, making sure each flower was placed exactly right before gliding back out of the room with the cards in his other hand. And Hermione stood still under Harry's invisibility cloak, shocked.

**~ XOXO ~**

It took all of Snape's strength to make it to where he was. He was surprised with the fact that he hadn't broken down yet, though through the past years he had visited her – them – he guessed it was the familiarity of the ritual that allowed him to stay composed.

The professor, however, was unaware that Miss. Granger had followed him to Godric's Hollow. His annual outings on the 31st of October had been disrupted by none other than his own pupil, but of course, he didn't know that...yet.

A thin layer of snow and frost dusted the streets and rooftops of Godric's Hollow, which was unusual for October. The children that lived there were out with their mothers and fathers, trick or treating. The church bells rang six times as dusk began to fall.

Hanging his head, Snape began to the graveyard that surrounded the church. Evening mass had begun and so no-one would bother him.

The snow crackled underneath his feet as he carried himself with great difficulty onwards. His chest constricted unbearably tighter as he passed different gravestones marked with different names. His feet seemed to drag beneath him as he made himself walk to the familiar grave.

The sounds of faint footsteps were imitating his own, before Snape stopped suddenly and kneeled down in front a marble gravestone.

This one was unmistakable.

**JAMES POTTER LILY POTTER**

**BORN 27 MARCH 1960 BORN 30 JANUARY 1960**

**DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981 DIED 31 OCTOBER 1981**

Hermione held her breath, not quite understanding what she was seeing.

Snape, the most hated teacher at Hogwarts, was...completely broken.

His figure was hunched over as he sobbed. Tears flowed freely down his swallow cheeks and the bouquet of flowers he held in his hand was shaking with his body. The cards he held in the other were hovering above the vase that held dead flowers.

"Lily," Snape cried, his head hung, his eyes screwed shut. "I am so sorry." His breaths were laboured and he collapsed back onto the heels of his feet.

Snape still hadn't realised that Hermione was with him. He could never let _anyone _see him like he was now. His father had used the state he was in now as a vulnerability, and in turn, Snape refused anyone access to his true horrors.

With great effort, he stemmed his useless tears, wiping them away with his black sleeves.

His chest, however, didn't give any relief. His breaths were still forced, and his hands still quivered.

Snape had calmed himself enough though, that he was able to place the bouquet in the vase displacing the withering flowers with vibrant red roses and pure white lilies.

The cards were next.

With his hands still quivering, he placed his down first, placing it next to the vase, reading it one final time before moving to Harry's.

_Lily,_

_I still can't accept the fact that you're gone._

_Has it really been 14 years?_

_I just...I know I do this every year. You must be bored of me by now, how pathetic I am._

_I just need to say that I will do everything in my power to protect your son. It won't be easy, I'm not going to lie, but I __**will**__try._

_I'm so, so sorry, Lily. If I could go back in time, change everything, I would, but both of us know that isn't possible, no matter how much we want to patch up our mistakes._

_Always in my thoughts,_

_Severus._

A single tear spilled down his cheek as he placed Harry's card next to his.

_Mum, Dad._

_I...um...I just can't understand why you had to leave me._

_I miss you, a lot, and I know we both know I can't exactly remember you – all I have now is photos – but, I still miss you._

_I'm scared, Mum, Dad, really scared, but I know this is something I have to face._

_Will you be with me, though, when I finally face him? Will you be waiting the other side for me?_

_I don't know what will happen._

_But no matter what, I will always have you in my heart, both of you._

_Always missed, always loved,_

_Harry._

Snape shed another tear for Harry's sake. He knew his pain.

"Sir?"

Hermione's voice trailed off through the brisk autumn wind, causing Snape to go rigid.

With a deep sigh, he shook his head. Had his grief really caused him to go mad and hear things? Surely not, yet his theory was proven wrong again.

"Professor?"

He looked around this time, his black eyes searching for his privacy's intruder. When they did find the girl, the black orbs burned with accusation.

"Miss Granger?" His voice was uncharacteristically high as he stared as the girl stood only feet behind him.

"I..."

He was lost for words.

"How could you?" Was what he finally asked.

"I...I thought you were up to something...you were acting suspicious."

Snape hissed at the girl. "Up to something?" He sneered. "Do I ever invade you privacy Miss. Granger, even if I believe you're up to no good?"

She hung her head wringing her hands together. "No."

"Leave me." Snape's voice was dripping in authority.

"Sir, I never knew."

He gave a harsh, bitter laugh. "No-one does."

"Harry?"

"Harry doesn't know either." He snapped.

Hermione nodded at him, her hair falling over her face. But before she could cover herself back over with the invisibility cloak, Snape had grabbed her hand.

His voice was shaking and tears started to spill again as he looked Hermione in the eye, pleading. "No-one must know."

The Gryffindor student stood paralysed for a moment before answering. She hadn't ever seen her potions master in such a vulnerable state before, it was almost as if he were another man. "You have my word."

"Promise me. The Potter boy _cannot know!"_

"I understand."

Snape glared at her, and again called her back again before she could getaway completely.

"50 points will be taken from Gryffindor, Miss. Granger." Her brow creased but she nodded slowly. "I don't need your sympathy." And with that he released her and she walked away.

Unanswered questions would surely be buzzing around in her head, but Snape held no interest. He was understandably livid, but it was Lily who he was here for.

A branch snapped behind him and he flinched before answering the sudden silence.

"I've told you, Granger-

"Severus." His eyes closed again, but opened when a soft hand was placed on his shoulder.

Snape looked down at his shoulder. He could feel the hand pressing ever so slightly down, and yet no-one stood near him.

He had heard her voice so clearly though, crystal clear.

It was the voice he could never forget.

The voice of Lily Evans.

"Lily, I'm sorry," he breathed.

A cold gust of wind dusted around him, he didn't look up. His grief had caused him to go insane.

"Sev, don't blame the Granger girl. She's trying to help you." Two cold hands placed themselves on his wrists, pulling his hands away his face. He had no option now but to look at the person who had done that to him.

The gravestone was what Snape had expected to see, not Lily Evans' face.

"Sev, please." He tried to grasp her hands in his, but his fingers clutched nothing but air.

"Lily," he cried again.

"Sev, stay strong for me. Please. Stay strong. I know what you're doing; I just need you to stay strong!"

Tears continued to escape from Snape's pained eyes. He had tried – he was trying so hard! But seeing James every day, it made his goal harder to succeed.

"Accept the sympathy one in a while," Lily's ghostly figured whispered.

"I," his voice stuck in his throat. "I...c-cant."

"Yes, you can."

Snape stared at the fading figure.

"You...you can't go!" He begged.

"I can't stay," Lily replied, pain tingeing her voice.

"Please!"

The woman was fading each second into the mist that surrounded her.

"Lily, I'm sorry!"

Her figure disappeared, but her voice lingered.

"I know."

The tears on Snape's cheeks had frozen in the sudden plummeting temperatures, leaving trails down his cheeks.

Without a second thought, he picked his card up again, whispering to himself as he went before stopping and re-reading the words beneath his signature.

_Stay strong... _

And, for the first time in years, he felt somewhat at peace.

He had his goal, for he never truly had gotten over Lily, and now, because of that, his life held much more importance than before.

He wasn't just fighting for himself, he was fighting for her, and he wouldn't disappoint her ever again.

**A/N – I felt as if Snape needed to be shown in a more of a...let's say tender way. I always believed Hermione would have found out about Snape before the final battle/Deathly Hallows, she's just too clever to not recognise anything.**

**Anyways, if you enjoyed this, Please Review! Thanks, Katie1995 :)**


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